BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
Name: Ted Winterer
Age: 59
Occupation: Real Estate Marketing
Neighborhood of residence: Ocean Park
Own or rent: Own
Marital status/kids: Married, two children 15 and 10
Party affiliation: Democrat
SURVEY
- Should Santa Monica provide more city sponsored services to homeless individuals including establishing a sober living facility in city limits?
Non-profits such as CLARE already provide sober living facilities so City funds are better used to address homelessness in other ways. The LA County health services are being reorganized under Dr. Jon Sherin, who played a role in getting the VA to commit to providing housing with services for veterans at the West LA campus, and the City of LA is appealing to its voters for funding for housing for the homeless – once these agencies have their strategies in place, we should them work cooperatively with them to address the regional challenge of 47,000 individuals living on our streets.
- Does the solution to traffic require life be made easier or more difficult for drivers?
Neither. Instead one of several solutions to congestion is to make it easier for people who don’t want to drive to do so, as enabling a small percentage of drivers to instead use carbon-free or carbon-light modes of transportation will ease congestion.
- Does the city have too many alcohol outlets and should there be stronger limits on acquiring alcohol licenses?
We need to distinguish between alcohol sales at restaurants, which are limited by our code to 35% of gross receipts, and bars, nightclubs and liquor stores which stay open later, are largely dependent on alcohol revenue and have a greater impact on residential quality of life. And that’s exactly what our code does.
- What percentage of your daily travel needs are met using something other than a private car?
I’d guess at least 60%, since my family of four has only one car. For instance, one day last week I took a Lyft to an appointment downtown as I was running too late to bike or use the bus; then walked to a meeting at City Hall; then rode a Breeze bike to my office; then rode the #8 bus to the Moose Lodge for an event; and finally Ubered home – never used our car.
- What, if any, apps are on your phone/computer/tablet right now were developed by a Santa Monica company?
ParkMe, WaiveCar and Finny. And the Santa Monica GO app is a great way to report issues for City Hall to address.
- The city’s zoning rules now allow for marijuana dispensaries but the city has delayed implementing the clause. Has the city been too cautious, too reckless or just right in its approach to marijuana?
Given that the state ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana seems likely to pass, I’d say we’ve been just right in waiting for this significant change in the legal landscape.
- What is your definition of overdevelopment and what is your plan to prevent it?
It’s clear to me many in our city are uncomfortable with projects over 3-4 stories on our boulevards and more than 5-7 stories downtown, so our update to the Downtown Community Plan should reflect that sentiment just as our zoning update to the rest of the city did. And if Measure LV fails to pass but wins a large minority of the votes cast we should look at a tool for voter approval of very large projects to ameliorate those concerns.
- Hobbies?
Sunday pickup soccer, skiing and riding waves at the beach with my family.
- Do you spend more time streaming video or watching cable TV?
Depends. I just finished a NetFlix binge watch and have moved on to a HBO series. And for playoff baseball and football I go for cable.
- All cities have struggled to find money for affordable housing in the past few years. Is the current ballot measure raising the local sales tax the appropriate way to fund affordable housing?
Yes, especially since much of the revenue will be generated by visitors to our city.
- How have you been involved in the Santa Monica Community in non-election years?
I attend as many community events as I can, given the demands of my day job and my desire to spend time with my wife and kids. I try to check in at neighborhood organizations, Neighborhood Council, SMRR, CEPS, CASM, and other meetings when possible to keep my finger on the pulse of the community. And I’ve been involved in raising funds for the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation.
- Have you ridden any of the attractions at Pacific Park? If so which ones and how often?
My kids love Pacific Park so I’ve ridden them all, although I won’t be sorry if I never ride the Sea Dragon again. I’ve been there maybe 4-5 times in the last 12 months, including my son’s 10th birthday party.
- How aggressive should the city be in its pursuit of closing the airport?
As aggressive as possible without breaking the law.
- To what degree should Santa Monica integrate with the surrounding municipalities?
We should integrate when addressing issues which require regional solutions, such as homelessness and traffic – it would be great, for instance, if LA could synchronize its traffic lights to work with ours when motorists travel east on Olympic at rush hour. But in other areas such as our water supply we should go our own way and remain independent and distinct.
- Businesses often talk about the difficulty of working in Santa Monica. Why is the current level of regulation appropriate and should the city do more to encourage and support the business community?
I think the level of regulation is appropriate, but we can do a better job of more quickly processing applications for things like tenant improvements and providing consistent answers at the planning counter and in building inspections.
- What is the correct approach to operating the Santa Monica Airport?
We should operate it according to the bare legal Federal requirements while taking over fuel sales and subleasing, eliminating leaded fuel and adding security measures. Then when we prevail in court and can assert our rights to do what we want with our land, we can complete the process which has already begun of converting the land to a park and playing fields.
- Where do you stand on the local ballot measures (GS, GSH, LV, SM and V)?
I support GS/GSH, SM and V. I do not support LV – too extreme.
ESSAY QUESTIONS
Why are you running for council, what makes you qualified to lead, and what role do you see yourself playing on the dais if elected?
I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in my four years on the Council such as eight acres of new parks with 15 more in the works; additional staffing for police and fire; new mobility options such as our successful Breeze bike share and first mile/last mile connections to Expo; preserving and creating affordable housing; a cutting edge minimum wage ordinance; water conservation and a reduced reliance on imported water; requiring water use neutrality in new development; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from 1990 levels; and ambitious efforts to convert our airport to a park. However, there’s still much work to be done on many issues and I’d like to have a hand in addressing these challenges.
I believe I’ve proven to be an independent thinker who listens to those on all sides of an issue so as to formulate an informed and judicious approach to voting on complex matters. Consequently, I’ve been able to forge compromise and consensus among my colleagues on the Council at the times we might otherwise have been polarized.
What were the council’s best decisions in the past two years? What were the worst?
We’ve made a lot of decisions which I think in hindsight will prove to be future focused and prudent. For instance, we’ve made great progress towards our goal of being 100% reliant on water from our local aquifers, both through conservation measures and infrastructure projects which will treat and recycle storm runoff and waste water. And by 2020 our lowest-income workers will reap the benefits of a minimum wage of $15/hour. Our update to our zoning ordinance enhances protections to our existing multifamily housing in residential neighborhoods. And despite skepticism, the Breeze bike share has served our city well. On the other hand, it was clearly a mistake to even contemplate term leases with the aviation tenants at SMO, although such agreements were never signed. And I wish there had been a way to get Metro to adopt the same bike share platform we use so the systems could be integrated. Finally, while the decision was made over two years ago it was misguided to have a five year gap between the adoption of the LUCE and the finalizing of our new zoning, as the requirement for development agreements for even the smallest project during our interim zoning created the impression that all land use entitlements are negotiable.
How has the city’s pursuit of sustainability been appropriately balanced with economic, development and financial concerns?
Yes, very appropriately balanced, since our sustainability initiatives seek to address environmental quality, economic health and social equity. Creating housing downtown near jobs and transit not only reduces our carbon footprint but also creates the sort of compact, walkable neighborhood which attracts employers in the New Economy. And water neutrality, green building codes, requirements for rooftop solar, and new impact fees assure development consumes fewer resources. Residents and businesses will enjoy long term savings from our push to use only locally-sourced water, as the cost of imported water is sure to increase due to the impacts of climate change on Western states. Our first mile/last mile connections to the Expo line mean visitors can spend their dollars in downtown Santa Monica, which provides so much of the revenue which pays for services to residents, without adding to traffic congestion. And our phased increase in the minimum wage provides social equity while allowing businesses time to address new regulations.
